We look at what weather-reporting tools are available to predict and identify instrument meteorological conditions. By Ed Brotak | May 25, 2021
Estimated reading time 11 minutes, 17 seconds.
Inadvertent or unintentional flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) continues to be a significant cause of fatal helicopter accidents. The crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others in January 2020 took place after their helicopter entered clouds during a visual flight rules (VFR) flight. According to the National Transportation Safety Board’s final report on the crash, the pilot succumbed to spatial disorientation and lost control of the helicopter.
Another high-profile accident resulting from inadvertent entry into IMC took place on Feb. 2, 2021. On this occasion, an Idaho National Guard helicopter inadvertently entered clouds in mountainous terrain at night. It flew into the side of a mountain just 14 seconds later, killing all three on board.
about it tracking a few miles this way or a few dozen miles that way, are those not going to make a material difference for this giant a storm. question one, how good are the predictions of where it s going. question two, is the sheer size of this storm so overwhelming that the subtle differences in the tracks don t matter. two more questions. third, i know there are people who don t understand this part but i do not. i don t get the relationship between sea level and wave height and storm surge and tide and what the national hurricane center is now describing as water height above ground in its latest forecast discussions. i know they re all about water and they re all potential flooding and all about coastal risk. maybe the distinction ought to be seen of something that s of interest to meteorologist but i sort of feel like we re all reading meteorological material now and we sort of need to figure it out in terms of what